Institute of Public Affairs

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) was founded in 1936 by Lothar Richter and Dalhousie University through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in recognition of the need for greater regional economic and social development. It began as an experimental organization, intended to make connections between the university and the community, and the social sciences and public policy. The IPA’s primary areas of activity were government, business, labour and community, with a focus on public administration. The records of the Institute of Public Affairs are deposited in the Dalhousie Archives and are described in this finding aid.